It is fair to say West Ham and the FA won’t be exchanging Christmas cards this year after a new charge.
West Ham should have known this season was going to be nightmare.
When Mohammed Kudus was sent off in a 4-1 defeat at Spurs, it was the beginning of the end of West Ham’s hopes and dreams for the campaign.
The FA intervened on the Kudus red card.
The Hammers star was called to a hearing where an independent three-person panel hit him with an extended ban.
FA and West Ham collide again
It was later revealed one member of the panel wanted Kudus hit with a mammoth ban to send a message.
Thankfully some semblance of sense prevailed and the West Ham attacker had just two games added to his suspension.
Other players have arguably done much worse this season – namely Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, on two occasions no less – and received just one additional game on top of their ban.
West Ham felt hard done by over the Kudus case.
It derailed an already rocky season further. By the time he returned to the Hammers team, Julen Lopetegui was nearly on his last legs.
When Graham Potter took over in January, he got an instant tune out of Lucas Paqueta.
The Brazilian had been out of sorts for some time but was back to something like his best under the new manager.
A hearing into alleged spot-fixing has originally been scheduled for the summer.
But the FA announced it was to start in March as they push for West Ham’s record £51m signing to be banned from football for life.
The FA set aside a record three weeks for the trial, which is now two weeks in.
After Kudus and Paqueta, West Ham face new charges
Again a three-person independent panel will decide the West Ham star’s fate.
West Ham insiders have described the FA’s pursual of a lifetime ban as ‘savage’.
Now the FA and West Ham collide again over ‘wholly unacceptable’ actions as a date is set on a new charge.
After the harsh 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month, Potter lauded Hammers fans for being ‘proper and knowledgeable’.
The manager was impressed that the travelling West Ham army stayed behind long after the final whistle to applaud their team’s display, knowing they had been undeservedly beaten.
Well the FA weren’t as impressed by West Ham fans that evening.
Because the club has now been charged by the Football Association – again – over alleged homophobic chanting by West Ham fans during the game.
The FA have announced the Hammers are being charged with ‘misconduct in relation to crowd control’.
Even though the alleged incident took place at Chelsea’s ground.
The FA state “West Ham failed to ensure its spectators did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent or insulting way with reference to sexual orientation”.
After the match, West Ham actually threatened to ban fans in a statement which strongly condemned the ‘discriminatory and homophobic chants aimed towards opposition supporters’.
Date set for West Ham response to ‘wholly unacceptable’ actions
It added “the chant is wholly unacceptable and has no place in football or anywhere else” and that it was a criminal offence.
The FA have now charged West Ham over the chant and have given the club until next Tuesday, April 1st, to respond.
As a result, next week promises to be very busy for the club’s secretary.
West Ham have admitted they do not have a club representative in court every day for Paqueta’s hearing.
That’s because a spokesman close to West Ham’s owners revealed there’s nothing they can do.
It is likely they will have a club presence in the room for the final week, though.
West Ham can likely expect a fine over the Chelsea chant.
But it is difficult to see how the Hammers can really police the problem, especially at another club’s ground.
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